ABOUT
My work is fueled by experimentation, which has been essential to my development and growth as an artist; I explore shape, texture, and color with a variety of media. There is a synergy between creativity and chance that is authentic to my process. I may find inspiration from a rusted piece of metal or a collection of beach debris. I may work with coal from a fireplace, tissue paper, eggshells, needle and thread, or a heat gun to create interesting textures. Quick drying acrylics and latex house paints allow for spontaneity while, stylistically, I include aspects of conceptualism, minimalism, and abstract expressionism. All these elements reflect impermanence, unconventional beauty, and the dynamic way in which opposites can complement each other. And while the result might appear chaotic, what is represented on the canvas is the externalization of the process of my mind coming to a state of calm, transitioning from the "rigid" or "contrived" to an open state, free of expectations, plans, or regrets. It is from this open state, I strive to capture that fleeting, ephemeral moment before things take a familiar shape; before the brain begins to engage, qualify, and sort.
Erika Larskaya is an abstract artist working in acrylics and mixed media. Originally from St. Petersburg, Russia, she immigrated to NYC in the late 80s at the age of 21 determined to learn English and make a life for herself. She studied design at the American Business and Fashion Institute in Charlotte, North Carolina and had a brief career as an interior designer, but favored being home with her children and painting. She began exhibiting in 2008. Although she has studied formally and still enjoys some of the traditional, foundational processes such as figure drawing, her passion for experimentation and pushing boundaries has driven her to expand beyond the conventional and, over time, she has evolved her own, solo methodology and technique, driven by her desire to express things that are not seen, but rather felt. She finds inspiration in the work of other female artists who have faced adversity and societal restraints. She works out of her studio in northwestern CT.
Most recently, her work has been exhibited at Five Points Gallery in Torrington, CT as a part of the 2021 juried group show. You can read a recent interview with Erika in the November 2021 edition of The Artful Mind.
FEATURED IN
The Artful Mind Magazine, Nov 2021
EXHIBITIONS
2022
Brinx Cafe, group show, ongoing, Torrington, CT
Byrde + the b, September group show, Washington Depot, CT
Beacon Theater, February group show, Pittsfield, MA
2021
Spazi Gallery, Group Show, Pittsfield, MA
Five Points Gallery, juried show, Torrington, CT
2020
Dottie’s Coffee Lounge, group show, Pittsfield, MA
2017
Winvian Resort and Spa, selected works, Morris, CT
Noble Horizons, group show, Salisbury, CT
2016
Berkshire Pulse, solo show, Housatonic, MA
2014
Gallery Arts Guild, group show, Millerton, NY
2012
Noble Horizons, group show - small works, Salisbury, CT
Hudson Opera House, juried show, awarded 3rd place, Hudson, NY
2011
14th Colony Artists, group show, Millerton, NY
Zen Dog Café, selected works, Rhinebeck, NY
2010
Fall For Art, Kamilla’s Floral Boutique, Millerton, NY
Columbia County Council on the Arts, group show, Chatham, NY
RE Institute, group show, Millerton, NY
2009
Hudson Opera House, group show, Hudson, NY
Arts-Walk, Windows on Warren, solo window display, Hudson, NY
North-East Library, solo show, Millerton, NY